Some other stalls at the Fair, and a couple of outside pictures

Words to follow tomorrow.  I am just too shattered now.

 

I don't know why they all came out badly focused.  Apologies.  Words in the morning.

Hmmm - another Why Did I Bother . . .

 I sold just ONE item all morning.  Then 3 more by mid afternoon, but I haven't covered my outgoings yet.  February is not a good month for a Fair, and the weather didn't help either.  I was talking to another dealer friend today and saying people used to know about antiques and knew what they were looking at - now they haven't the foggiest and it's all about "the look".  What happened to those people who DID know about antiques - they can't have ALL died off during Covid.

Here's my rubbish . . .

I took the ginger Babbacombe cat off Keith's gran's dresser this morning, on the principal it was collectable, and I have just kept the little pair of black and white kittens beside it, which I have a really soft spot for.  The cat sold as a birthday present.

The little Indian horse (on right) sold too.  A good bit of age to that.

At one time, the little wooden horse and cart (c. 1900 or so) would have flown out.  Likewise the little drum shaped seed measure behind the repro pistol.   Many "old friends" on these two tables, and newer friends rapidly turning into newer old friends . . .  

The chimney is now done anyway, and new ridge tiles in place and a muddy track across the lawn, but can't be helped.  They cleared the guttering on the stable block too and put my other roll of hedgehog anti-leaf stuff in it.  The attic should hopefully soon dry out now.  

Right, an hour in front of the tv and it will be bed.  I was awake from 2.10 a.m. last night till nearly 6 a.m.  Alarm went off at 6.40 . . .

Wet socks

 It rained very heavily this afternoon, mostly when I was unpacking the car and then again when I went back to it, and then twice as hard when I was driving home.  My favourite trainers gave up the ghost and took on board water and I have had soaking feet all afternoon.  Another expense!  I went up into the attic to move something this morning, and thought I had cracked the craft light problem when I found a display light which clamps on your stand.  But no, the bulb had gone and took ten minutes to try and unscrew (it fits tightly into holder).  The air was blue . . .

On the positive side I saw two lots of 2 Magpies (good luck I hope) and I am opposite the people I was stalled out next to at Builth.  A lovely couple and they will look after my stand when I need the loo etc.  I have promised them cake.  Helen, one of our old antiquey friends, helped me unload too, bless her.  They have a huge stall, double and a doorway, so I imagine unpacking and packing up takes hours for them.  

Here are a few photos of other people's stands:

This is a stupendous display of blue and white.  If you collect it, you would be quite overwhelmed by the choice.

Mr Chair Man's stand.

They must have a big van for this lot, and a strong chap to do all the lifting.

I think these are some of the Organizer's lovely things.

These are Other Jen's lovely felted pictures.  She seems to sell out at every Fair, and there's only her doing them so she must work the night shift!!  A lovely lady, who stood up for me when I was being bullied last year.  These sheep ones sell well as lots of sheep farmers in Wales!

Aren't they lovely?  

Well, I enjoyed the drive there as it was dry, and all the Catkins are out on the Hazels, and masses of Snowdrops on the verges and in hedgerows.  SO pretty.  When I got to the Fair, there were lots of Daffodils out.  It's quite sheltered there and they flower early.

Right, fingers crossed for me tomorrow and a shame I'm not a jewellery specialist as they are about the only ones taking the money when everyone is skint.  Savvy folk always have money for jewellery.

Can I sit down now?

 

Today I have:

Done one load of washing (heavy linen duvet cover).

Washed my hair.

Researched about a dozen items, which takes longer than you would think. Lens helps a lot though.

Been in my secret cupboard to look for some pieces of studio pottery - it meant moving heavy boxes about, great fun!

Found all the other items I wanted to take to the Fair and loaded them.  Lots of different trips and careful planning/packing.  Keith was so good at that, bless him.

Taken compost out and litter tray contents (it's so wet and muddy in the orchard).

Polished a gallon copper Victorian harvest jug.

Polished a copper belly warmer (used on stagecoaches, back in the day).

Made a lovely crusty half and half loaf.

Made a Chocolate Apple Cake to thank my neighbour for bagging up some well-rotted muck heap for me.

Made a Spicy Dorset Apple Cake (and eaten a piece!)

Done three lots of washing up and drying up.

Walked 4,000 steps around the house doing all this.

I am absolutely shattered now, but still have to make a chicken curry for my own "ready meal" on Saturday and Sunday, when I come home late from the Fair.  Tomorrow will test my upper body strength . . .

Getting organized

 I have a to-do list.  At the top was get my hair cut - did that today - I was surprised how long it had got but she did a fairly radical trim - jaw length.  Hope it's not silly short by the time I roll it under.  It's better than it was though.  I was on the look out for pots of Primulas to dress my stand but there were only bulbs in the green in town, nothing flowering, so I shall stop at the Garden Centre on the way to Carmarthen on Friday when I go to set up.  I dealt with the Probate today too and sent the Will off to the Probate office, Special Delivery.  I posted books to friends in Dorset this morning, and wrote a letter so I am on top of that.  

Snowdrops at the cottage which used to be the Vicar's in early Victorian days.

I have had a lovely long walk, a nice chat with my horsey friend and given her horses cuddles, and then we walked and chatted for 1/4 mile or so together until she was going up into the woods (and then her horse didn't want to leave me!) I walked for an hour and have clocked up lots of steps today (over 12,500) including going up and down stairs about 20 times.  

 I have been doing research into the current value of things bought at auction about 2018.  This is an Ashanti gold weight - this would have been the heaviest weight from a set which gradually increased from tiny to this.  It shows King Kofi Karikari being carried under the State Parasol (which ended up with Queen Victoria).  He was deposed in 1874 after the battle of Amoaful at Kumasi in Ghana and his palace ransacked and looted.  A solid gold mask was taken, a solid gold stool and Royal jewellers Garrards in London became the prime handler of plundered cultural goods.  The gold mask was sold to the Wallace family and is part of the Wallace collection.  This all reminded me why I enjoy finding and researching things like this - though unless I put them on the internet (need to really), they take a long time to attract a buyer in Fairs in rural Wales.

Here is another gold weight, this time a rare bronze horse head.  I cannot find the like of it on t'Internet.  I have found some lovely bronze "fairy" lights and put fresh batteries in them, all the better to light up these pieces and the manillas I have.  I only have two tables this time so will have to try and strike a balance between pocket money purchases and temptations!

It is now 7.40 p.m. and I have just given up on identifying filigree bracelets and desirable Sheffield blade makers (penknives).  Time to settle down and knit.

Sunshine on my walk.  Not everywhere but lovely to see the landscape light up.  Lovely to hear birdsong again too.  They sound so happy.

Life improves with keeping

 Today has been a positive day.  I have gotten my head around the Probate.  I do not have a 28 page written document to fill out as I did it on line, so Tam got that wrong.  She thought there was a 2nd more in-depth document.  Yeesh.  My proof of posting was for something else - which did get delivered.  It still got me too wound up to sleep well last night though, and I woke at 4 a.m. and was downstairs until 7 (but then slept on till 9.30).

My friend Pam got in touch about going to Leominster today, but first it had to be retimed, and then cancelled due to life getting in the way.  We'll go another day.  Lots of antique shops there so it's good to go for a day out.  Keith and I often went there for our wedding anniversary, as not many places to go in January - though we did go to Lacock Abbey once.  That was a lovely day out.

I made a big pan of pizza topping/pasta topping/soup base this morning, and the bread maker is currently making me some pizza dough. 

 

I went up in the attic today (having warned Pam and Tam I was going to and saying I would let them know when I was down safely again).  I got a whole lot of boxes down and out into the middle stable (I think it used to be the old feed room).  They will go on the compost.  One suitable big sturdy box is in the house to be used to transport my green and yellow big Austrian Arts & Crafts amphora vase this weekend.  I found Danny's never-used Hornby railway set, so that is going this weekend too.  It may help the exchequer.  

I moved all the breakable stuff away from the far end of the attic room too, and have noted stuff to pass on/sell/dump.  I also ironed the two big sheets I had washed, ready for the Fair tables.  I just have two this time.  I will try and remember to get some little pots of flowers to dress the tables and stock.  

So, a positive day.  I have now knitted the front of E. Bunny's dress.  Colours are pretty, and quite woodland.  Think I may have messed up at the top as didn't know quite how it was meant to look with some slightly odd instructions - yarn forward and then slip last two stitches purlwise. . . what?  How?  You will have to be patient and wait until she is finished as she's a pile of bits right now!

I also had a lovely chat with Keith's 90+ cousin down in Cornwall.  She is sounding her age now and was difficult to understand at times but we pretty well understood one another.  She said she spoke to Rod before Christmas (first time in years) so I am glad that she got to say goodbye, in a way.

This won't do.  I had best go and grate some cheese for the pizza.

  

What a sh*t morning

 I open my emails first thing.  Today I had one from the Probate office, informing me that Keith's case would be made dormant as certain documents were missing.  This put me into panic mode - I am not good with anything to do with legal documents  and then I jumped to conclusions over a proof of postage on what I assumed were the documents in question (and which had no delivery confirmation on the tracking). Anyway, I spent the entire morning trying to sort it out (with Tam offering advice).  Tam has helped me and we will deal with it tomorrow.

I bought myself a cheer-me-up treat for lunch - one of the mouth-watering patisserie tarts that I drool over when I look in the Bakery window (or go in the shop for a nice loaf of bread now and again).  Today I thought, I blardy deserve one.  It had huge raspberries, a strawberry sliced and manderin oranges under a lovely gel glaze.   It was worth every penny of what I paid for it.

I have chased up my heating oil, reeled from the bill for servicing the central heating boiler (incl. one replacement part), and remembered to get fresh filters for the UV water system and some money for the float for the weekend.  The way things are going, that is likely to be a total drain on my resources, and not a way of mending them a bit.

I had one thing to look forward to, which was a trip to the wool shop in Llandod, to choose some yarn for Elderberry Bunny's dress.  I chose a pretty multi-colour one and have knitted the first 15 or so rows, which included learning a new-to-me stitch - one row only of that.  

I probably won't sleep well tonight though, as I am still all-wound-up from this morning - when I was fighting off a panic attack.  This is when I hate being on my own most.  I haven't got Keith here to tell me not to be so blardy silly or offer sound advice.  He always dealt with anything legal because he had the brain for it and I don't.  Yes, I know in the long run that's not a good idea because the surviving spouse gets stuck when the good-with-it person dies.  The same applies to anything to do with wiring, chopping down trees, anything mechanical and even an extra person to steady a ladder.  Finances too - his money was my money was his money, so to speak.  I paid certain things, he paid others.  If I was short (he had two pensions), he would let me have money to level things up.  Needless to say, I only have 1/3 of the money coming in that I used to so balancing the books is blardy difficult.  

I am having one last go-away holiday (to Copenhagen) and after that it will be a few days away in this country.

And hey, things could be worse.  I haven't driven my car full pelt into 3 feet of floodwater and then wonder how I came to kill the engine (plenty of online footage of idiots doing just that) and I have just read about a young man in France who had to have an operation and was found to have a live WWI shell removed from his backside.  They had to evacuate the whole hospital and call in the Bomb Squad to deal with it!  Blardy hell - I bet they had words with him when he came round from the op!